Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Written by Jason Varney

NAPOLITANO, PANZER NAMED ALL-NESCAC IN FIELD HOCKEY

MEDFORD --  The New England Small College Athletic Conference (nescac) announced its All-Conference teams today, and two Jumbos are among the honorees.  Junior tri-captain Lea Napolitano (Waltham, MA/Waltham) was named to the conference First Team, while fellow tri-captain Dana Panzer (Sayville NY/Sayville) garnered Second Team recognition.

This year marks the second consecutive year that Napolitano has earned All-NESCAC honors, as she was selected to the conference Second Team as a sophomore in 2003.  The forward notched a total of 16 points for the Jumbos this season, seven coming in conference play.  Napolitano finished the season second on her team in goals, assists, and total points scored this fall.  In one of her strongest offensive showings of the year, the junior scored both goals just over a minute apart in a 2-0 playoff win over NESCAC foe Wesleyan on October 31.   

This is the first year Panzer has garnered all-conference honors, yet after a break-out season for the senior this year her name is far from unknown throughout the conference.  The senior tri-captain ranks highly this season among NESCAC players, ranking fourth in the conference in points per game (2.20), fifth in goals per game (0.80) and fifth in assists per game (0.60).  Goal-less entering the 2004 season, Panzer will leave Tufts University after setting the school record for total points in a season, combining 12 goals with nine assists for a total of 33 points on the season, leading her team in all categories.  Her impressive offensive performance earned her NESCAC Player of the Week honors on October 4, the only Jumbo to do so this season. 

Panzer had two multi-goal efforts this season, one of which came on October 21 when she scored two goals in a 4-0 Tufts shutout over Wheaton College.  In another strong offensive effort, Panzer appropriately teamed up with Napolitano to account for all three Jumbo goals in a 3-0 shutout over NESCAC rival Bates College.  Napolitano scored the game's first goal off a Panzer assist, then Panzer went on to score the game's final two goals off Napolitano assists, to lead the Jumbos to a convincing Homecoming win.

Coach Tina McDavitt's Jumbos finished the season with an impressive 10-6 (5-4 NESCAC) record, a huge improvement over last year's 5-10 (3-6-0 NESCAC) mark.  Tufts cruised by Wesleyan, 2-0, in the first round of the NESCAC playoffs on October 31, but the Williams College Ephs dashed the Jumbos' hopes for a championship appearance, blanking Tufts 3-0 in semifinal action on November 6, in Middlebury, Vt.

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